Video: Gator crawls up front door of South Carolina family's home

Alligator sightings are pretty common in the Lowcountry, but one crawling up the front door is a sighting that most haven't seen (WCIV)

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) -- A Moncks Corner, South Carolina family had an unusual visitor at the front door of their home and a bystander caught the encounter on camera.

Alligator sightings are pretty common in the Lowcountry, but one crawling up the front door is a sighting that most haven't seen.

Gary Rogers says he was walking his dog down a street in Foxbank Plantation Monday morning when construction workers stopped what they were doing to watch an alligator meander into the yards of two homes.

Rogers says he reached for his phone as the big reptile headed for the front porch of one home.

"He was walking around in front of a couple of houses down in the cul-de-sac area. So we went down. Took a couple videos. Got some good shots of him. He was trying to climb the fence a couple times. Tried to climb somebody's door. It was pretty funny actually," Rogers said. "I'm not from the area, so seeing an alligator is interesting as far as I'm concerned."

Neighbors say it's not unusual to see alligators near the waterways of Foxbank Plantation, but Monday's incident was surprising because none of the neighbors had seen a gator on the front porch.

"The gator was not aggressive at all. He was just kind of trying to find his way out. I mean he was caught between fences, in between a couple of houses. Had no place to go. Went around the air conditioner a couple of times," Rogers said.

But Rogers was surprised to see the reptile try to climb a front door.

"I didn't know alligators could actually climb. And this alligator looked like he was really trying to make an attempt to get over the fence and into this woman's pool in the backyard. And then when it went over to the house it kind of was up around the doorbell," he said.

Jamie Bailey says she doesn't know if the gator actually rang the bell, but she did find plenty of scratches on the door when she got home.

"You can see where he was scratching all around the door here. And then there. And then you can see the scratches on the knob itself," Bailey said.

She was at work when a neighbor texted her about the unexpected visitor.

"I thought it was a joke. And the first picture she sent me was from over here. And I couldn't see it on the porch. And then they sent me the video front on and I was in disbelief. Couldn't believe it," Bailey said. "I mean who would have thought -- an alligator!"

Bailey says she's seen alligators in the area before, but never thought one would come knocking and try to get in her house.

"I told my husband earlier I said we're going to get a gator crossing sign -- and we're putting it in the front yard," she said.